


the constant things stay constant;

by unintentionallyangsty



Series: drive the dark things away; [13]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brodinsons, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Caretaking, Childhood Memories, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Flashbacks, Gen, Heat Stroke, Hurt, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Loki Lives (Marvel), Memories, New Asgard, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Protective Thor (Marvel), Sick Character, Sick Loki (Marvel), Sickfic, The Revengers - Freeform, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, Worried Thor (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27022255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unintentionallyangsty/pseuds/unintentionallyangsty
Summary: On one of the warmer summer days in New Asgard, Loki has a particularly adverse reaction to the heat.(Whumptober 2020 Prompt #14 Fill: Heat Exhaustion).
Relationships: Brunnhilde | Valkyrie & Loki (Marvel), Brunnhilde | Valkyrie & Thor (Marvel), Heimdall & Thor (Marvel), Loki & Thor, Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Series: drive the dark things away; [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949623
Comments: 6
Kudos: 188
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	the constant things stay constant;

**Author's Note:**

> Loki & Thor (|| the Valkyrie & Loki || the Valkyrie & Thor). Takes place in New Asgard. Loki is alive and Infinity War has decidedly Not happened.
> 
> written for the Whumptober 2020 Prompt #14 Fill: Heat Exhaustion. 
> 
> **chapter warnings !** : some mentions of illness/vomiting.

“Loki,” 

From where he was at across the table from Thor, Loki startled badly, his elbow nearly upsetting his full mug of tea onto the tabletop, and blinked sluggishly before turning to meet Thor’s gaze.

“Pardon?” he inquired, slowly, almost as if the word felt foreign on his tongue. 

Thor felt his throat tighten slightly at the uncharacteristic response, though he forced his expression to remain unyielding as he glanced pointedly down to where Loki’s plate of eggs was sat, as of yet untouched, between his elbows. 

“You need to eat.” Thor reminded, and forced himself to relax, slightly, before offering a small and gentle smile. “Would you like something else? Cereal, perhaps?” 

At the suggestion, Loki grimaced slightly, before turning to frown down at his eggs almost as if he had forgotten that they were there, entirely.

“Thank you for the reminder.” he drawled, and speared a bite of scrambled eggs almost viciously with his fork. “Though I had planned on spending the rest of my morning simply studying the meal.” 

Thor rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t put it past you.” he muttered, and made a show of glancing away. 

In truth, he continued to watch Loki from the corner of his eye, noting the way his brother continued to stare down at his forkful of eggs almost hesitantly, as if fearful that it might leap off the end of his utensil and bite him, before he brought it up and took a small bite with a noticeable grimace. 

There was a time, months before, when Thor might have feared that he had prepared the eggs poorly, and that Loki was simply reacting dramatically to his uselessness in the kitchen. 

At this point, however, Thor had been informed a number of times by a number of people (Loki included, albeit begrudgingly) that the one thing he did know how to prepare adequately was scrambled eggs, and was therefore confident that he hadn’t botched the meal, entirely. 

Why Loki was reacting so adversely to the meal, then, was a mystery to him. 

Though, Thor recalled as his stomach turned slightly with the memory, there had been a time, not long into their journey upon the _Statesman_ , that Loki had gone two or three days in a row without a meal and, when Thor had insisted that he sit down and eat something for once, he had protested, and had proceeded to mope exgerratedly, when Thor had succeeded in convincing him to eat at all. 

The way Loki was continuing to grimace as he placed another, tiny forkful of eggs tentatively into his mouth, now, made Thor’s stomach turn slightly, again. 

It had, truthfully, been months since he had seen Loki reject regularly portioned and scheduled meals quite as vehemently as he had done on the _Statesman_. 

And yet… 

Thor could not deny the fear clawing at the back of his mind, now, that insisted that the habits were making a reappearance. 

“Loki,” he continued, now, if only to make an effort toward quelling the anxiety he could feel beginning to churn within his gut. “Are you--” 

“I’m fine.” Loki interrupted, with a small scowl, though he did not raise his eyes from where he was continuing to glare down at his eggs to meet Thor’s own. “I simply…”

He hesitated, before pushing the plate before him an inch or so further from himself with the back of one hand. 

“Find that I have little appetite.” he concluded, at length. 

Thor frowned, and opened his mouth to argue (it wasn’t as if he had not heard a series of near-identical excuses before, at any rate), only for his gaze to fall to where Loki was swallowing thickly, the very edges of his face beginning to pale dramatically as he continued to glare at his meal in obvious discomfort. 

“Alright.” Thor replied, then, and stood to round the table before Loki could do little more than blink slightly in response to his seemingly easily won agreement. 

“ _Alright_?” Loki echoed sarcastically, though Thor did not miss the way he tensed slightly as Thor continued to approach where he was sat. “I would have thought that you, the fussing, overbearing nursemaid that you are--” 

“Shut up.” Thor interrupted, and reached out a hand to place the flat of his palm against Loki’s forehead, before his brother could object. 

Immediately, he felt himself frown at the clamminess of the skin beneath his touch. 

“You do feel a bit warm.” he commented, and offered a stern frown when Loki balked and attempted to wriggle out from beneath his touch. “Maybe you should go back to bed.” 

“We hardly have time for that.” Loki argued immediately, and raised a hand to bat weakly at where Thor’s was still resting against his forehead. “There’s a council meeting this afternoon, followed by at least two trade discussions.” 

Thor felt his frown deepen slightly. “None of which are more important than your health.” he chided, when it seemed Loki was not planning on quavering beneath his stern glare, any time soon. 

“Thor,” Loki replied after inhaling a long and truly dramatic sigh, and continued to speak with exaggerated slowness, “My health is not at any risk, I assure you.” 

“What do you call this, then?” Thor demanded, before Loki could continue, and gestured down to the discarded plate of breakfast. “Do you truly think--” 

“ _Thor_ ,” Loki interrupted sternly, though he exhaled a small huff, not a moment later. “I assure you, it is fine. A nervous stomach, perhaps.” 

Again, it was hardly an excuse Thor had not heard before, and he opened his mouth to say as much--

Only for the words to dry on his tongue, the second he registered the tight, almost pleading expression on Loki’s face, and the way his brother’s arms were curled tightly, almost protectively around his middle. 

“I--Alright, brother.” Thor relented, after another brief moment of silence, and felt his stomach drop slightly at the way Loki fell forward in relief almost immediately following the words. “If you insist--” 

“I do.” Loki replied, and cleared his throat before standing in one, smooth motion--

Or, Thor considered, it would have been, were it not for the way Loki wavered slightly in place, as soon as he’d risen to his feet. 

Rather than overreact, however (a reaction that would have easily sent Loki into a fit of irritation), Thor watched the movement with a stony expression, and forced his arms to remain glued to his sides even as Loki continued to sway. 

It was not another beat of a moment before Loki regained his bearings enough to straighten with another, small cough, though it would have been almost impossible for Thor to miss the faltering of his movements, as it were. 

“I think that I’ll--” Loki gestured a little weakly toward the back room, before giving Thor a small, overly reverent nod. “I’ll prepare for the day.” 

And, before Thor could reply, Loki was already turning curtly on one heel to head toward the back room.

_Loki!_ Thor wanted to call, something like discomfort already beginning to churn within his stomach as he watched Loki stumble, once, before he disappeared around the corner and into the back of the house. 

And, despite his knowledge of what was sure to be a long day ahead of them, Thor found himself staggering back to take another, unsteady seat at the kitchen table, and hesitated only another moment further before he allowed himself to curl forward and bury his face behind his hands as something like helplessness threatened to choke him, entirely. 

\---

It was only when Loki had stumbled into the relative seclusion of the bathroom that he allowed himself to fall forward another clumsy step, and hastily locked the door behind him with a surge of magic before he all but collapsed against the toilet, and inhaled sharply through his nose as he fought to gain control of his quivering stomach. 

_You’re alright._ He reminded himself, and squeezed both eyes shut past the urge to gag. _You’re--_

Despite his efforts, Loki felt himself gag anyway, and had only a moment to curl closer to the toilet before he was coughing up what little breakfast he had managed to ingest that morning. 

In truth, he reflected as his stomach spasmed again, and his hands curled tighter around the edges of the porcelain toilet bowl as he continued to heave--

In truth, he had not been feeling particularly well for almost half a week now, though things had not risen to such an undeniable crescendo until the evening before, when he had awoken in a panic, cold sweat beading at his temples as he had heaved for breath past the thick heat he could feel beginning to build within the house. 

It was not an altogether unfamiliar sensation, though Loki had lived in something like a dim hope for the past ten or so years, that it might have been a sensation soon forgotten. 

Luck, as it were, did not seem to be on his side, when it came to the current uneasiness he could feel coursing through his stomach and veins. 

When he had been a child, hardly old enough to recall anything beyond the more significant events of his life, at the time, Loki could vaguely remember experiencing a similar sensation, at the beginning of almost every Asgardian summer. 

It had started slow, at first, appearing in vague flashes of fatigue and nausea, for a number of years. 

As he had grown older, however, Loki had found himself increasingly intolerant of leaving the confines of the cool palace walls, the warmer the summer months became, and had therefore developed increasingly elaborate excuses to remain indoors as the summers had progressed. 

In recent years, however, Loki had found himself surprisingly less susceptible to the warmer months of the year, and had allowed himself to grow increasingly complacent… 

Which, of course, was exactly when the universe had decided to prove him wrong-- 

And with the fickle heat of a Midgardian summer, no less. 

Seemingly at the mental reminder, Loki felt his stomach lurch again, and he leaned forward to expel more fluid into the bowl of the toilet with a small groan. 

_Stupid_. Something at the back of his mind hissed derisively as Loki continued to gasp, and he hastily pushed it aside as he raised one trembling hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. 

_Weak…_

_Shut up._ Loki reminded the voice irritably, and leaned forward to rest his head wearily against the cool porcelain of the toilet lid. 

He would get up in a moment, he told himself firmly. 

Just...Just another moment. 

_Weakling…_

_Shut **up**._ Loki nearly growled out loud, before he allowed his eyes to flutter closed, if only to block out the harsh light of the bathroom fluorescents.

If just for a moment. 

\---

“You alright?” 

Loki blinked, and just barely held himself back from startling at the sudden voice, before he turned to face where the Valkyrie was facing him with a curiously raised brow. 

“Fine.” he dismissed immediately, and almost immediately wished that he had not opened his mouth at all, as another wave of dizziness threatened to overtake him, entirely. 

The sensation, unsurprisingly, had been coming and going in waves throughout the duration of the council meeting they’d just stepped out of, though he had done a relatively good job of ignoring the sensations until--

Well, until now.

It had been nearly half a day since the near-disastrous breakfast that morning. And, while Loki had (somehow, miraculously) managed to evade Thor’s ever-present concern, for now, he had not quite been able to keep himself from lingering in the shadows of the village as he had gone about his day, often falling into bouts of near-crippling malaise as he fought to complete his tasks with even a semblance of composure. 

And, he had prided himself, he had managed to keep the potentially suspicious behavior almost entirely unnoticed by a majority of the population of New Asard--

Which, of course, was exactly when the Valkyrie had decided to approach him and prove the theory entirely unfounded. 

“You sure?” the Valkyrie was prodding, now, something like dissatisfaction creasing the space between her brows as she levelled Loki with a somewhat disbelieving look. “You don’t look fine.” 

“Rousing praise.” Loki drawled, and turned to peg the Valkyrie with a dry look. 

Immediately, he stilled, and had to fight a grimace as the world around him spun a little sickeningly at the movement. 

“Lackey?” 

Clearly, his efforts at subtlety had not been as fruitful as he had hoped, and Loki bit back a wince as he turned to offer the Valkyrie a, hopefully, blank expression.

“You’re pale.” the Valkyrie commented, before Loki could so much as open his mouth, and took another step closer to study him with an almost startling amount of sincerity. “Paler than normal, that is.”

“You needn’t concern yourself.” Loki dismissed with a shrug, and forced himself to turn away and study the cliffs beyond with a small, weary exhale. “I’m merely--” 

“If you say ‘tired’…” the Valkyrie interrupted with a low, warning edge to her tone, now. 

Loki turned to offer her another blank look. 

“And if it’s the truth?” he countered, after a moment. 

In reply, Val merely snorted before turning to shoot him a wry look. 

“The truth?” she repeated, a little disbelievingly. “Well, then...I guess I’d have to concede that point.” 

She made to turn and walk away, then, only to hesitate, and offer Loki one final, almost pitying look, before she began to stride away.

“Talk to Thor.” she called over her shoulder. 

Before he could stop it, Loki felt himself frown slightly in response to the words. 

“Why?” he demanded, after a beat. 

And, even as she continued to walk away, Loki could still make out the Valkyrie’s derisive snort.

“He’s been frantic nearly all afternoon.” she informed with a small shrug, and turned to shoot Loki a smirk. 

Loki did not reply, though the words had caused something within him to tighten almost painfully, and instead offered a small, acknowledging nod. 

The Valkyrie only huffed again, and rolled her eyes slightly before turning to continue merrily on her way. 

“Talk to him!” she repeated and, after turning a sharp corner around a row of houses, was gone. 

Leaving Loki to stand alone on the cliffside, shivering slightly in the summer breeze (and wasn’t that just a misnomer?), before he turned sharply on one heel to begin treading back toward his and Thor’s house at the outskirts of the village. 

The council meeting was finished, after all, and there wouldn’t be another meeting that would demand his attention for another hour, at least. 

Meaning that, for at least another 45 minutes, Loki might be able to get away with holing himself up in the cool shadows at the very corner of the house. 

And, if he played his cards right, the brief moment of respite might have been just enough to allot him the ability to restore the amount of energy needed to get through what little of the day there was left. 

The thought firmly in mind, Loki took another hasty step closer toward the edge of the village--

Which was, of course, right about the time his vision began to grey out at the edges, and Loki had only a moment further to open his mouth into an indignant gape--

Before he was toppling forward and, before he could so much as inhale a shocked breath, his temple was striking the ground below with an ominous _thud_. 

\---

“Highness! Thor, you have to calm _down_.” 

The Valkyrie’s voice filtered distantly in at the back of his awareness, though Thor could hardly register it past the hammering of his heart within his chest. 

Not half an hour before, Thor had exited the hall where what was left of the council had been concluding their meeting, only to turn to see--

To find Loki collapsed in the dirt not a hundred yards away, unmoving beyond the shallow and unsteady rise and fall of his shoulders. 

Immediately, Thor had felt his own breath still within his lungs, and would have pitched forward into a sprint to reach his brother’s side, if not for the strong hand at his shoulder holding him back. 

“He’s alright.” Heimdall had informed in a low, comforting tone that only Thor could hear, his strong and steady hand remaining at Thor’s shoulder even as he had struggled, slightly. “Look. She has him.” 

And, true to form, the Valkyrie had swooped in from somewhere unseen almost as soon as Thor had noticed Loki’s prone form, and was already crouched by Loki’s side with one hand on his shoulder, a small furrow between her brows as she murmured something in low, unintelligible tones.

Even still, Thor had released something like a low, helpless cry before he could stop it, some long forgotten sensation twisting violently within his chest at the sight of Loki lying still on the ground. 

The time following the realization was a bit of a blur, though Thor somehow found himself faltering within the entryway to his house, Heimdall’s sturdy hand still at his elbow as he wavered. 

From the back room, the sound of someone heaving weakly for breath could just be heard, and Thor had swallowed past the nausea rising within his own gut at the sound.

“Thor!” 

Thor had startled slightly at the cry, and had barely a moment to register who had spoken before the Valkyrie emerged from the back room, two spots of color high on her cheekbones as she inhaled an unsteady inhale, and shot out a hand to brace a hand against his shoulder. 

(“...you have to calm _down.”_ )

“He’s having a hard time breathing.” she informed, now, even as Thor continued to struggle weakly against her hold. “He won’t take any water, but he--” she trailed off, and bit her lip forcefully, before she shot Thor a gentle, knowing look. 

“He keeps calling for you.” 

Before he could stop himself, Thor jerked forward, and had only a moment to register Heimdall’s hand at his other elbow loosening, before he stumbled another step further into the house, his heart hammering so loudly within his chest he could hardly hear the Valkyrie’s next words. 

“Thor-- _Thor!_ ” 

Thor faltered slightly at the command, and felt his brow furrow as he cast his gaze between the hall to the back room and the Valkyrie in bewilderment. 

“He hardly knew me.” Val informed with a small shake of her head, and took another step closer to rest her hand back onto Thor’s shoulder. “Just--He’s almost inconsolable, right now.”

Something about the hesitant tone to her voice made Thor shudder slightly, and he turned to give the Valkyrie a tentative look. 

“What do you mean, ‘inconsolable’?” he inquired, after a beat. 

“Just--” Val hesitated, and turned away to release a slow, tremulous exhale before continuing, “He’s--Thor--He’s crying.” 

Immediately, Thor felt something within him chill at the words, and he turned to cast his gaze back toward the darkness of the back room. 

“I--” 

“Just take care of him, alright?” the Valkyrie was saying, and seemed to hesitate, before she moved her hand down to rest gently at Thor’s elbow. 

And, in spite of himself, Thor managed to nod curtly, once, before he surged forward into the back room--

Only to falter almost to a halt, his shoulders tensing almost immediately as his gaze fell to where Loki was curled up on the cushions of the sofa, his cheeks dramatically flushed as he fought obviously and audibly for breath. 

“Th--Thor.” Loki whimpered, almost as soon as Thor entered the room, one of his long and pale hands rising to clutch at his chest in an almost clawlike manner as his pale gaze locked automatically onto where Thor was still hesitating in the doorway. 

“ _Please_.” 

It was as if a line had been cut, and Thor stumbled forward weakly, barely managing to hold himself up long enough to cross the room before he all but collapsed at the side of the sofa, one hand rising almost automatically to cup the side of Loki’s neck, the skin frighteningly warm beneath his touch. 

Almost immediately, a memory from centuries before rose to the front of his mind, unbidden, and Thor fought the urge to reel back with the force of it. 

(Loki curled atop his covers, almost identical to how he was hunched now, his tiny shoulders shuddering miserably as he fought for breath after another miserable bout of retching into the basin at his elbow. 

“It is merely a matter of too much sun, Thor.” Their mother had informed, her hand not faltering as it continued to comb through Loki’s sweat damp hair. “He will recover soon.” 

“Then why am I not ill, mother?” Thor had demanded, curious as he was even at the Midgardian equivalent of 9 years old. “I was out in the sun far longer than Loki.” 

“Ah, but your brother is much smaller than you.” Frigga had reminded gently, though Loki, even in his sickly state of mind, had still managed a small scowl at the words. “And he has always been particularly sensitive to the heat.” 

“Not that I can remember.” Thor had grumbled. Though, in truth, he could scarcely have recalled exactly what had occurred the summer before even if the information had been demanded of him). 

Now, Thor was drawn roughly back to the present moment when Loki shuddered mightily beneath his touch, and he forced himself to offer a small, encouraging smile when his brother keened weakly, both eyes squeezing tightly shut with the force of his exhale, causing two fat tears to trace down his already wet cheeks. 

“It’s alright, Loki.” Thor soothed, dredging up the memory of how Frigga might have addressed the smaller Odinson, more or less, when he had been similarly ill, in the past. “It’ll be alright.”

“ _Thor_ ,” Loki huffed, again, and swallowed thickly before he turned, and pressed weakly further into Thor’s hand against his neck. 

“Yes!” Thor encouraged, and took a moment to reach out with his free hand to grasp at the glass of water on the small table beside the sofa before he returned his attention fully to Loki.

“It’s me. It’s Thor, Loki. I’m here.”

(“I’m here.” Thor had promised, centuries ago, when Loki had thrashed atop his bedsheets, his face pale as he continued to sweat and heave for breath.

Their mother had disappeared in search of a fresh, cooler bowl of water, leaving Thor to watch over his brother in the interim. 

And, of course, Loki had awoken almost as soon as she had disappeared, his gaze frantic and breaths beginning to leave him in sharp, shallow pants. 

“It’s alright.” Thor had continued, a little frantically, and raised a badly trembling hand to settle into Loki’s curls, similarly to how he had seen Frigga do, earlier. 

“I’m here.” 

“Th--Thor?” Loki had gasped, his eyes going briefly wide and glassy, before they had fluttered shut as he continued to wheeze. 

“It’s me, Lo.” Thor had murmured, and dislodged his grip only long enough for him to scramble up to lie on the bed beside his brother, before he had returned the hand to rest against Loki’s head, again.

“Promise it’s you?” Loki had demanded, almost insensibly, and had immediately curled slightly closer. “Promise you won’t leave?”)

Thor moved to bring the half full glass of water closer to Loki’s mouth, now, though his mouth twisted into a frown almost immediately when Loki moaned weakly, before tossing his head further away from the cup. 

“You need to drink.” Thor chided, and ignored the way Loki shook his head slightly in favor of pressing closer with the glass of water. “You’re far too warm as it is.” 

In reply, Loki only curled further back into the sofa, and effectively dislodged Thor’s hand on his neck as he shook his head violently, again. 

“N--Not--” 

“Shhh.” Thor soothed, his stomach tightening slightly at what was beginning to sound like the familiar mantra Loki often spouted, following his particularly trying nightmares. “It’s alright, Loki. It’s just me. You’re safe.” 

And, when Loki did not react beyond another small and pained whimper, Thor sighed softly before continuing;

“It’s Thor. I--I need you to drink this, alright? You’ll feel better when you do. I promise.” 

(“You won’t leave me?”

“I promise.”)

“I promise.” Thor repeated, now, and nodded sharply once, twice, before he moved forward to press the glass in his hand to Loki’s lips, again. 

“I won’t leave you. You’re safe. Just--” he inhaled a sharp, tremulous inhale. “Please, Loki. Please drink.” 

And, miraculously, Loki did. 

Slowly, at first, before something like recognition dawned behind his slightly glazed eyes, and he began to take longer, more eager sips from the glass. 

“Alright.” Thor chided, gently, and just held himself back from releasing a small, slightly hysterical laugh as he drew the glass away, again. “Slowly, for now.” 

Loki, for his part, pouted slightly, though he fell back against the armrest of the sofa with a small, weary exhale, after a moment. 

“That’s it.” Thor soothed as he began to trace his thumb along the edge of Loki’s still trembling jaw. “Good job, Loki. Well done.” 

At the words, Loki froze, briefly, before he released a long and mighty exhale, his shoulders fairly shaking with the force of it. 

And, before Thor could react, Loki turned to nuzzle into his touch, and inhaled a sharp breath before he turned to press a soft, almost tentative kiss to the edge of Thor’s palm. 

“Shh.” Thor breathed, automatically, and allowed himself to fall forward to press his own lips firmly to the skin of his brother’s still clammy forehead. 

“That’s alright.” he whispered, as Loki pressed impossibly further into the touch. 

“I won’t leave you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> there was meant to be a lot more drama here, but i got caught up in the flashbacks because tiny thor and loki are ;-; 
> 
> (also i sometimes do not have the strength to address loki's being a jotun because of the deep-rooted self loathing that accompanies that so !! it was only vaguely alluded to here!!! so sorry !!!)
> 
> [tumblr here!](http://littlekinng.tumblr.com) xx thank you, everyone continuing to read ! xx


End file.
